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Photograph of a night ritual in a temple hall decorated with marigold garlands and mango-leaf torans. A standing man in a saffron-orange robe and rudraksha mala holds a silver lamp with a flame in his right hand while a small silver bowl is in his left. A yellow deity murti stands in an arch behind him. Several people in white clothes sit on the floor with small red-tray oil lamps burning in front of them, and a man in white kneels at left. A man in white at centre holds a camera. Smoke hangs in the air. The marigold-garlanded stone platform in the foreground suggests a homa or puja setting.

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January 12 20092009-01-12January 12 20092009-01-12January 12 20092009-01-12A night homa ceremony under a marigold-decorated canopy. A man in orange robes stands at left holding a flaming vessel aloft, while a man in white sits at a ring-shaped fire pit lined with marigold garlands. Behind, a seated figure in orange robes with a rudraksha mala sits on a red-and-gold cloth beside a white stone deity murti and other figures in white. Brass plates of flowers, fruit and offerings, a metal pot, and small clay lamps surround the fire, with a row of decorated kalasha pots at right.2009-01-12A photograph of a homa (fire ritual) in a decorated temple pavilion lit by a yagna pit ringed with marigold garlands and flames. A standing priest in orange robes holds a brass plate of offerings and a microphone stand is nearby. Behind the fire, a seated figure in orange robes with a green-and-orange garland sits on a raised seat under a decorated canopy. Another seated figure in orange sits on a mat near the pit, and a white-clad attendant sits nearby. Rows of kalasha pots and brass vessels rest on a white-draped altar beneath a framed deity portrait garlanded with marigolds and flowers. Small deity images and yellow-orange floral decorations fill the background.2009-01-12A night homa or yagna under a canopy strung with marigold and orange garlands. A central fire pit, lined with marigold garlands and a pink cloth, burns with flames and smoke. A man in an orange robe with a rudraksha-style necklace stands at the fire, hands near the flame. White-clad priests and attendants stand at left with hands folded, and a seated devotee in the foreground at lower left presses palms together. A white-clothed altar holds fruit, sweets, plates and a kalasha-like arrangement, and a white ganesha murti sits in the background. Small red offering trays and oil lamps are visible at right.2009-01-12Night outdoor homa at a temple campus under a canopy. A figure in saffron/orange robes with shaved head stands bent over the square fire pit, pouring from a brass vessel, with a crowd of white-clad devotees seated around. A large brass oil lamp with a lit flame stands in the foreground beside plates of food, fruit, flowers and kalasha-style offerings on a red cloth. Hanging saffron and multicolour decorations and tall poles frame the scene, with a cameraman filming at the lower right.2010-11-05A night-time ritual scene under a canopy of orange and yellow marigold garlands. A standing man in a saffron-orange dhoti and shawl holds a brass plate of burning camphor flame aloft in an aarti. Below, a seated man in white dhoti with an orange-red sash tends a fire pit ringed with marigold garlands and small oil lamps. Behind them, a seated figure in red sits with hands in anjali, and more devotees in white and red sit in the background. White stone deity murtis under garlanded arches stand around the space, and tiered trays of offerings with fruit, flowers, rice and kumkum fill the foreground. Smoke and lamp light hang in the air.2009-01-12Night photo of an outdoor fire ritual on a raised yellow platform with a square fire pit filled with ash and surrounded by white and yellow flower garlands. A man in a flowing orange-saffron robe, with a shaved head, a beaded necklace and a long wooden staff, stands at the back holding a silver fire vessel aloft with flames rising from it. Around him, white-clad men and women sit and stand, some with hands joined, and a line of seated devotees fills the background under dim lamps. Coloured canopy umbrellas and smoke frame the scene. Other people wear white dhotis, saris and shawls, with orange stoles on some.2007-02-11December 30 20072007-12-30Night photograph of a homa fire ritual under a canopy of marigold and orange garlands. A round fire pit bordered with orange and white flower petals burns in the foreground. Behind it, a long table holds rows of brass pots and coconuts topped with mango leaves, a fruit platter, and a framed deity portrait garlanded with marigolds. On the left, a man in saffron robes and red rudraksha mala sits on a raised seat, and seated saffron-clad devotees and a man in white sit on a striped mat. On the right, a standing priest in orange robes holds a long ladle over the fire, while a white-clad assistant and onlookers stand nearby.2009-01-12A photograph of a night ritual under a canopy of marigold and jasmine garlands. A standing figure in an orange saffron robe and beaded necklaces holds a lit lamp (aarti) toward a homa fire pit lined with marigold garlands. Smoke rises from the fire pit. Three men in white dhotis and shirts stand with hands folded in prayer behind a table of banana leaves, brass vessels, fruit and sweets. In the foreground, a seated figure in orange clothing presses palms together. A framed portrait of a deity garlanded with flowers sits on the left, above rows of decorated kalasha pots with mango leaves.2009-01-12